Recipes

Parmesan Cauliflower

While eating and drinking my way traversing across New Zealand, I experienced an interesting mix of cuisine: a lot of amazing wine, too much bad British food, and some delicious fare featuring fresh ingredients prepared simply.

One dish I couldn’t get enough of was a creamy, cheesy cauliflower dish served at an adventure lodge in River Valley on the Rangitikei River. Of the eight or so dishes on the family dinner table, I kept going back for more of this cauliflower. I finally asked the cook how he made it, and was surprised at just how simple it was: Parmesan, cream and cauliflower. I’ve lightened this recipe to use Half & Half, but feel free to indulge more with cream or cut back by substituting milk.

Sorry, no pics for this one — it’s not the most photogenic dish, especially after dark on white china.

Parmesan Cauliflower

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons flour

2-3 cups Half & Half (use more if you like more sauce, or expect leftovers

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste)

1 medium head cauliflower, steamed or roasted

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Gradually pour in Half & Half, stirring constantly. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat and cook until sauce begins to thicken. Whisk in cheese. Add cauliflower. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bacon Spinach Quiche

I am not a morning person, and I am always looking for make-ahead breakfast ideas.

If I don’t get enough protein in the morning, I am invariably famished and sneaking down to the ABP in the basement of my office building for a sugary carb fix before 10:30.

Quiche seemed like a great solution: versatile (what leftover veggies are in mt fridge?), with protein and vegetables, as well as portable. Leave off the crust, and they’re pretty guilt-free.

But I’ve been experimenting with quiche recipes off on and on for about six months, and they always turn out watery. Turns out, eggs release water when they cook, without the right balance of fat in the liquid. You can’t substitute milk or half and half for the cream. Vegetables should be pre-cooked and sufficiently drained of excess moisture, especially for a very watery vegetable such as zucchini. Also, oven temperature matters: 400 degrees seems to work best.

This recipe is a starting point; substitute whatever vegetables and cheese you have on hand. A little salt is good, but be careful not to over-salt, especially if you’re using a salty cheese such as Parmesan.

Many cooks prefer to make quiche in a tart pan, and remove the sides when cooling. I don’t own a tart pan, so I just use a pie plate. This may be too much filling for a tart pan; start with 2 eggs and 2/3 c cream.

Bacon Spinach Quiche

4 slices thick-cut bacon (I used Trader Joe’s applewood-smoked bacon)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced, if desired
4 c baby spinach (half a package)
3 eggs
1 c cream
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 c shredded Parmesan (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook bacon. Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the fat; crumble. Remove all but one tablespoon of grease from the pan. Reduce heat to low. Add onions and saute for several minutes. Add garlic and continue sauteeing until onions begin to get translucent. Add spinach. Cook for an additional two minutes until spinach has cooked down. Transfer mixture to a cutting board to cool slightly. Run a knife through the mixture several times. Blot excess moisture from the vegetables with paper towels.

Lightly coat a pie plate with cooking spray. Spread bacon crumbles and spinach over the plate. Whisk together eggs, cream, salt and pepper; pour into pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.

Place pie plate on a baking sheet and carefully slide into the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the filling has uniformly puffed (wait for the center to puff), browned and set. Transfer to a cooling rack. Let set for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Fig, Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad

Up to this point, I’d eaten fresh figs exactly once in my life: when the “gourmet fruit of the month” a vendor sends to my office was black mission figs. I managed to snag a couple of those plum beauties, and I could immediately see why my fellow foodies were so enamored. That was nearly a year ago, and I hadn’t seen figs in a grocery store since.

Until Sunday, that is, when I walked into Trader Joe’s, with crate after crate of figs, both black and green. I picked up a container of black mission figs, along with a package of goat cheese. That night, I sliced up a few, topped them with a few crumbles of cheese and a dot of honey, and threw them under a broiler for a couple minutes. Divine and devoured.

For the next two days, they were the highlight of my lunch, in salad form. I packed the ingredients in separate containers and tossed them together on a paper plate from the kitchen at work. I didn’t have any walnuts or pecans on hand, but they would make a great addition, both for flavor and texture. Grilled chicken would make this a great entree salad.

Fig, Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad for One

4-6 fresh figs, sliced in half, stems removed

1/2 cup sliced strawberries

1 oz goat cheese, crumbled

4 cups baby spinach

1 T balsamic vinaigrette (or your favorite dressing) – adjust to your personal preference

Toss all ingredients. Serve immediately.